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South Korea's New President Names His Economic Team

South Korea's new president, Roh Moo Hyun, has named an economic team to confront the challenge of staving off an economic downturn.

Kim Jin Pyo, a finance ministry official for nearly 30 years, was named head of the economic team as deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Mr. Kim, 55, had served as vice chairman of the transition team, which was often roiled by quarrels between moderates and leftists who saw Mr. Roh's presidency as a chance for sweeping change in an economy dominated by family-controlled conglomerates known as chaebol.

''He's kind of an old-generation minister,'' said Kwon Jae Jung, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Finance. ''He is a quite reasonable person. He will control the speed of reform.''

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The drive to crack down on evasion of taxes on inherited wealth has raised concerns among wealthy Korean families, who routinely transfer shares within their groups to pass on their fortunes. Last weekend's arrest of Chey Tae Won, the chairman of the SK Corporation, flagship of the SK Group, sent shock waves through the business elite. He was accused of insider trading involving three companies in the group, which is South Korea's third-largest chaebol.

Still, Mr. Roh's economic team is expected to continue the government's focus on promoting export growth.

The new commerce and energy minister, Yoon Jin Shik, 56, who previously served as deputy finance minister, repeated the mantra of countless Korean ministers, declaring, ''exports should drive economic growth,'' especially in view of ''shrinking local consumption and deteriorating trade balance.''

The surprise appointment of Chin Dae Je, president and chief executive of Samsung Electronics as information and communication minister, confirmed the underlying conservatism of the new economic team,

Known as Mr. Chip for turning Samsung Electronics into the world's leading producer of memory chips, Mr. Chin, 51, has the mission of applying the same skills to South Korea's booming information-technology industry. Just as Samsung has been able to compete successfully with giant Japanese rivals, Korean officials hope that the the entire Korean industry can some day move ahead of Japan.